


Within the Nexus

by Cedechan



Category: Gundam Wing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 03:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17820647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cedechan/pseuds/Cedechan
Summary: Zechs tried to make a new life of peace for himself, but that life ripped him to shreds. Heart broken and unsure where to go, Zechs accepts violence back into his life, hoping to forget, by becoming an assassin for a secret organization known as Nexus, whose mission it is to maintain the hard earned peace between Earth and the Colonies. So, can time really heal all wounds?





	1. Chapter 1

October 23, AC 197

A low buzz filled the steel rectangular room, breaking the silence and bringing Zechs Merquise out of his daydream.

  
“Sir,” The voice of the young co-pilot crackled over the intercom, “We’ll be in Earth’s orbit in a few hours.”  
Zechs rubbed at his dry eyes as he looked up from the screen of his laptop, towards the round shuttle window of his room. He saw nothing but the solid black curtain of space, and the light, translucent reflection of his own pale face. Their current trajectory was at the perfect angle to cast the red dot of his former home, Mars, within his line of sight and he pursed his lips at the pang of nostalgia. Getting up from the built-in desk, he walked over and hit the blue button on the intercom that was next to the door of his quarters.

“Thank you, I’ll head up.” he replied, and slipped his thumb off of the button. He turned back to the desk and stretched, raised his arms up over his head and arched his back. He was so tall in comparison to the small room that his elbows almost touched the ceiling and he let out a large yawn.

A once ten-week journey from Mars was now only two, but it was still too much time to be alone with his thoughts. Piloting the craft in which he now travelled did prove to be a good distraction, however he didn't pilot it 24-7, so when he wasn’t piloting, he was hunched over his computer.

He looked into the small mirror that was mounted on the wall, stared into his tired ice blue eyes and raked his hand through his long blond hair. He worked a small knot loose with his fingers, sighed and turned to his bed.

Rolling his shoulders to work the stiffness out of them, he grabbed his discarded white T-shirt from his thin bunk and draped it over his long, lanky torso. Although it was mandated that all crew members do a series of workouts in the morning to keep their muscles from atrophying in space, Zechs hadn’t bothered since the accident. He slept in most days anyway and had no appetite, so as a result he’d lost a fair amount of weight in the last three weeks. His pants were all loose and his shirts hung on him.  
There were 10 crew members on the shuttle to Earth. He and the co-pilot, three engineers, two botanists, two biologists, and their medic, Myrna. During the two week trip to Earth, Myrna had constantly harassed him to eat more, but he just wasn't hungry. She’d grab his face, turn it left and right, then comment on how emaciated he looked. He’d just brush her off and lie that he’d make sure to eat something at the next meal. He usually tried, but it never resulted in more than a few bites of whatever the rehydrated food of choice was that day.

With a sigh, he hit the button next to the steel door and it slid open with quiet hiss. The shuttle was only 200 feet long, so he walked down the central hallway and was in the cockpit a moment later.

The dark haired pilot looked up when he entered and saluted him from his seat.

“I’ve told you not to do that, Arlo.” Zechs mumbled and the young man lowered his hand with an unperturbed smile and turned back towards the navigation controls. He was actually only a year and a half younger than Zechs, but Zechs felt much older than his 21 years. He slumped down into the second pilot’s seat and stared over the navigation panel, out the window to the little blue planet in front of them.

He couldn’t believe that he was actually returning.

Suddenly he felt a weight land on his shoulders and the depression he’d been battling the last three weeks descended on him like a thick fog. His mind wandered, for the thousandth time, to the precious cargo they had in the lower bay. He let out a strangled breath as an invisible hand thrust into his chest and squeezed his heart.  
He deflated in the seat and raised a hand to cover his eyes. Arlo looked over at him concerned.

“Sir?”

“Hn? Oh, I’m fine.” he said, looking away and abruptly getting up. “Are you alright to keep going?” he asked and Arlo nodded.

“Yes’sir. Maybe you should go see Myrna? You’re awful pale.” Arlo observed, but Zechs shook his head lightly. He turned and left the cockpit, and decided to go down to the cargo bay. Carefully avoiding the shuttle’s clinic, he made his way to the door that lead down to the cargo bay, and looked behind him quickly before opening it and slipping inside.

A motion detector turned the lights on as he entered, and a soft white light illuminated the small bay as he mcame down the ramp. He walked across the room, passed the blocks of supplies and stopped at the single cryogenic sleeping pod, where Lucrezia’s beautiful face shown through the small window.

The pod was the closest thing that they had to a coffin on Station NW2, where he and Lucrezia had lived together.

“Hi sweetheart,” he whispered.

Putting a shaky hand on the window, he lowered his head as his throat constricted and he wrestled for control.  
He and Lucrezia had moved to Mars soon after the Mariemaia Uprising, hoping to make a new lives for themselves. A few days into the new year, they had been contacted by one of the heads of the Terraforming Project, Kalkin Muzall, wondering if they would be interested in the project. They had accepted right away and took the first shuttle headed out to Mars.

He would never forget the beaming smile that Lucrezia had on her face when they first set foot on the Martian planet. The sun highlighted the deep violet of her hair through the glass of her helmet, bringing out a deeper array of colors and her eyes twinkled like amethysts… God, she was so radiant. She had grabbed his hand and released a sigh of content.

“Oh Zechs.” she murmured looking up at him. “I’m so happy.” she smiled at him and he smiled back.

“I am too…” he replied and paused for a moment as he stared down at her, “ I love you so much, Lucrezia.” he blurted suddenly and she blinked in surprise. It was the first time he had said those words aloud to her, although they both knew. Lucrezia’s smile faltered a moment then returned bigger than before and her eyes glistened. Suddenly she jumped on him, catching him off guard and he lost his balance as she wrapping her arms around his neck. They fell together, laughing as their helmets clunked together and they landed in a cloud of red dust.

“I love you too Zechs…” she whispered when the laughter subsided. “I’ve always loved you.”

They had both been assigned as Captains for half of the Northwest sphere, in charge of overseeing the construction of 30 of the total 480 factories that would be releasing the greenhouse gases needed to create ozone on the red planet. It was 20 year plan: 5 years to complete construction and 15 years for the factories to emit enough greenhouses gases before the surface could be even remotely survivable. They were excited for their new life and had planned to be there for the long haul.  
Mars had been mapped out simply: north sphere, northwest sphere, northeast sphere, west sphere, east sphere, southeast sphere, southwest sphere, and south sphere. Each sphere had two identical anchored habitats on each end, and each housed 90 people. They lived in Station NW2.

Their accommodations had been a cozy 200 square feet that included a small kitchenette, bathroom and narrow closet, and they loved every square inch of their tiny quarters. They were used to small spaces after their time at the academy, so they didn’t care how much room they had, as long as they were together. Although he was in a position of power, Zechs felt completely uninhibited and free for the first time in his life. No battles to fight, no wars to prepare for...just his work and being with the love of his life.  
After a long day of construction, many of the Station’s crew members would go to it’s only drinkery to relax. Sometimes Lucrezia and Zechs had joined them, but most of the time they would retreat to their room and just enjoy each other’s company.

A searing pain cut through Zechs’ chest as he remembered how happy they’d been. The accident was three weeks ago, but her death still felt fresh as if it had been yesterday.

They had been together at Site 4, which was almost complete and they were going over the final phases of the build. A call came over their coms saying that there had been an incident at Site 7, roughly 5 miles away, and Lucrezia had offered to take a Lite Runner and go check it out. They knew that there was a storm warning for the the night, but it was only a 30 minute drive and there was plenty of time before sundown. She was going to check-in when she got there to report what the damage was at Site 7, then she’d be right back. Zechs was eager to put the final touches on Site 4, so he gave her a kiss and let her go.

But the storm hit early. Zechs hadn’t even noticed the rushing wind while he talked with the electrician to make sure that the water recycling system was running properly. It wasn’t until there was a loud ‘thunk!’ and the sound of splintering glass that he looked up. Someone called him over to one of the few windows that the factory had and that was when he saw the large starburst crack that decorated it. The rock that had flown into it had been very large.

The workers were already putting tape across the window then putting a plastic covering over it, in case it did decide to give. Luckily they glass was a thick, very strong polyfiber glass that wouldn’t break easily, otherwise they would all have been dead already.  
Zechs’ thoughts strayed from the window quickly, however, when he saw the powerful red storm beyond the glass. It had come hours earlier than expected. He hadn’t even realized that he had pulled his radio off of his belt and was screaming “Luci?! Luci!!” into it, until the loud screech and and white noise started to blare from it.

“I have to go find her!” he yelled at the workers and ran down to the Runner hangar before anyone could respond. Red lights were flashing and an alarm was sounding when he burst into the hanger. Ignoring them all, he hastily ran past the Lite Runners to a Runner XL, climbing over the large all-terrain wheels and ducking under the silver roll cage, and carefully sealed the door. The electric Runner hummed happily when he hit ignition, but the hanger door wouldn’t respond when he put in the command.  
A red warning appeared on the screen.

  
*****Warning*****  
 **Hangar doors on lockdown until Category 8 storm passes.**

  
“NO!” he bellowed, slamming his fist on the display. He tried the door again and the warning continued to flash. “Goddammit!” He dialed Kalkin’s number. The stout man’s face appeared a moment later on the screen, he looked just as harried as Zechs felt. The picture was rough and fuzzy from the bad signal and the image wavered.

“Kalkin! I need you to override the doors here at site 4!” Zechs yelled, “I need to get out! Lucrezia is out in the storm!”

“What the fuck is she doing out there?!” Kalkin yelled back at him. It seemed that the storm was raging on his side of the sphere too and it was hard to hear over the howling wind.

“She was heading to site 7! Let me out! I need to find her!” His voice cracked with urgency.

“I can’t Zechs! The lockdown is automatic when a storm is over category 5. Even I can’t override it!”

“You have to! There has to be a way!” His deep voice begged.

“I can’t!” Kalkin said with a shake of his head and at that moment the screen blinked and Kalkin’s face disappeared.

“No!” He yelled at the screen and hit it again.

Zechs tried finding the control box so that he could force the doors to open, to no avail. Then he headed to the airlock, dressed in a surface suit, prepared to walk into the billowing red storm to find her, but the doors wouldn’t open either. Some of the other workers tried to help him, they were worried about Lucrezia too, but no one could find a way out, they were locked in.

It was 12 hours before the storm cleared up.

The red sand had built up around the factory and when they finally opened the hangar door, it came spilling inside. Already dressed in a surface suit, Zechs started to climb the tall dune of red sand before the crew could clear it. When he got to the top he could see a Runner coming towards them in the distance and his heart leapt.

“Lucrezia!” He called out at the top of his lungs, stumbling over and down the dune, then ran towards the oncoming Runner. He couldn’t see who the driver was due to the reflective windshield, but a part of him believed it could have been her.

He wanted so badly for it to be her.

The Runner stopped when it was 50 yards from Zechs and the door creaked opened, releasing a shower of red dust. Breathless, Zechs stopped and waited, then fell to his knees when the person who stepped out of it wasn’t her.

Kalkin walked over to Zechs slowly, and the expression on his face through his helmet stopped Zechs’ heart.

“No….no!” he cried out, grasping at his helmet. Karin kneeled down in front of Zechs and put his hands on his friend’s shoulders.

“I'm so sorry…”

They had found her already, down at the bottom of a deep ravine. The Lite Runner she had been driving, had no roll cage, and it was crinkled like an aluminum can. From what they could surmise, the storm had thrown her off course and somehow she slipped into the ravine. The Runner flipped and rolled; puncturing the armour on the sharp Martian rocks. It was common practice to remove their helmets inside the Runner because of the low ceilings, and that was exactly what she had done. She suffocated when all the air was sucked out of the cabin.

He spent the next few days numb and in shock, not getting up to eat and unable to sleep. He felt broken, like someone had taken the best part of him, his soul, and destroyed it. On the fifth day, Kalkin came into his quarters and sat next to him on the bed.

“I’ve spoken to your sister,” Kalkin said, looking sadly at Zechs “and we have a shuttle ready to take you and Lucrezia back to Earth.”

And now, he stared into her peaceful face through the thick glass of the cryo-pod, willing her eyes to open, until his vision obscured with tears.  
His breath suddenly hitched as he bit into his quivering lip, wiping away the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand, then slammed his fist angrily against the pod. ‘It should have been me,’ he told himself for the thousandth time, ‘I should have gone instead. Why did I let her go?! Why?! Why was I so stupid??’  
Alone...in the belly of shuttle...he cried for Lucrezia...mourning for the life that they had together, for her beautiful eyes that he’d never see again, for her soft lips that he’d never kiss again, and for the children that they talked about, who would never be.

9 months. He only got have 9 months with her. How was that fair?!


	2. A New Path

Once they landed on Earth, the next few days raced by for Zechs, like images in a tornado. Landing back on Earth, seeing Relena there on the tarmac with her silly pink limousine, the traditional funeral in the Sanq kingdom at his family plot, seeing a lot of old companions who came to pay their condolences, flowers, suits, more limos, green lawns, and a lot of bad food. When everything finally slowed down, Zechs found himself sitting alone on a bed in his sister’s guest room, utterly exhausted. 

_ ‘Now what?’ _ he asked himself, as his eyes scanned the elaborately decorated room. There was the tray with his untouched dinner, his sad little duffle bag, the suit from the funeral that was carelessly discarded on the floor. When he finally he looked at himself in the large gold adorned mirror that backed the oak dresser he noticed the deep shadows under his eyes and his skin was pale. 

He felt so lost. Where would he go? What would he do?  _ Who _ would he be? She had always been his constant, even when they were separated. 

Who was he without Lucrezia Noin? 

His eyes unfocused as a memory floated to him…

 

They sat in the mess hall wearing their standard NW2 gray jumpsuits, eating breakfast. He had been contemplating another name change to distance himself from the Lightning Count and all the staring and gawking that came with it. Lucrezia has given him a stern, but mocking frown as she stabbed a chunk of powdered egg with her fork. 

“I will not let you change your name again,” she said, pointing her fork at him. “I happen to like the name Zechs Merquise, and I’m very fond of the man who is attached to it.” She smiled and popped the yellow egg substitute into her mouth. 

He smiled, reached out, and swept up her right hand.

“Well, when you put it that way,” He lightly kissed her knuckles, “ Zechs Merquise at your service, mademoiselle,”

 

Blinking, he refocused on his image in the mirror. ‘ _ Okay, no name change.’  _  he thought, but he had to  **do** something, he felt like he was suffocating. He pushed his long blond hair out of his face for the hundredth time that morning and stopped suddenly, a handful of his yellow mane still clutched between his fingers. On an impulse, Zechs stood up, walked over to the dinner tray and grabbed the serrated steak knife. Walking back to the mirror, he didn’t stop to think as he gathered his hair into a ponytail and began to saw through it. 

A shower of long blond locks fell at his feet, and his hair fell in jagged layers around his face. Immediately, Zechs could feel the shroud slip off and he could breathe easier as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.  After a moment, he lifted his head and  tilted it  from side to side, looking at his handy work. He hadn’t had short hair since he was a boy and it was strange seeing his ears and neck so exposed. It wasn’t pretty, but he didn’t care. He already felt marginally better.

“Zechs are you- Oh my god! Who are you?!” came a surprised exclamation from behind him. He spun around to see the startled face of his sister. She wore her long, honey brown hair down and her nile blue eyes were wide with shock. He hadn’t even heard the door open. 

“It’s just me.” he responded quickly, and she ogled at him momentarily, still recovering from her surprise. A small smile began to tug at Relena’s lips. 

“What did you do?” She asked, walking into the room and taking in the pool of blonde hair on the floor. 

“I uh- needed a change.” He said simply as she walked up beside him. The siblings looked at each other through the mirror and Relena reached up and swept a stray lock from his shirt.

“It looks terrible,” she said with fake seriousness, and she watched as his hand went up self-consciously to his ragged locks. 

“You don’t like it?” he asked, realizing he sounded childish only after the words has escaped his lips. Relena smiled, amused.

“Not cut like that, I don’t.” She grinned, “I do like it short though.”

“Well I’m no barber,” Zechs commented, holding up the steak knife. Seeing it, Relena burst into laughter and he smiled a little to himself too. 

Wiping a tear from her eye, Relena looped her arm through Zechs’ and began to lead him out the room. 

“Okay big brother, let’s get your hair fixed up and then talk about what’s next for you.” She said as they walked down the hallway. 

“What’s next for me?” he asked curiously as he peered down at her smiling face. 

“Yes. The best way to heal is to stay busy and Lucrezia wouldn’t want you to stay in mourning forever.” she said, giving his arm a squeeze. “You know I’m right.” she added when he looked doubtful. 

“Maybe… but I don’t know that I’m ready.”

“You are.” 

“How do you know?”

“I just know.” she said confidently as they turned down a hallway and headed to the dining area. “And I’ve already set up an interview for you.” Zechs stopped and stared down at her again surprised and smiled at the assured look on her face. 

“When did you get so commanding?” he asked, and she grinned. 

“About the time I started following in our father’s footsteps, I suppose.”

He could hardly find a reason to argue with her and sighed. 

“Alright, tell me about the interview.”

* * *

 

As it turned out, Relena had a very interesting job opportunity for Zechs and he accepted the interview with only a little skepticism. She told him almost nothing, wanting it to be a surprise, but she assured him that it was right up his alley. 

Six days later, he and Relena were finishing up breakfast when the doorbell rang. Relena’s loyal butler, Pagan, came into the dining room, waited for Relena to finish her sentence to Zechs, then murmured, 

“It’s here, ma’am,” through his thick, white mustache.  Zechs reached up and subconsciously rubbed a knuckle under his own, naked nose and wondered how the elderly butler could maintain the white, bushy pushbroom above his lip. 

He set down his fork and took a final sip of coffee, before getting up and following Relena and Pagan out the front door. 

There was a black town car idling in the long, circular drive and Zechs looked over at Relena and raised an eyebrow. 

“Just go,” she said with a smile, “And remember, Zechs, you don’t have to say yes.” she reminded him for the third time that morning and he nodded. 

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” he conceded, and walked to the car. The driver met him and opened the door for him. He ducked inside the car, grabbed the door’s handle and pulled it shut, ignoring the grunt of surprise from the driver. He hated being waited on. 

They drove thirty minutes, and Zechs was surprised when they arrived at the private entrance of the Sanq Airport. He pulled out his com and typed a message to his sister. 

**‘They are taking me to the airport. Where is this interview??’**

**‘Wait and see ;)’**  came her reply message and he rolled his eyes. Although he and Relena had only been reunited for two years, sometimes it felt as if they had never lost that time. Even while he was on Mars, they messaged one another often, and she had been there for him ever since Lucrezia died. 

He was escorted to a waiting, unmarked, white private jet on the runway and he was the only passenger. The kind stewardess offered him a drink as he buckled his seatbelt and had it to him once they were in the air. 

One short hour later, he disembarked the jet and climbed into the next waiting town car. 

Zechs knew exactly what country they had landed in, so he was not at all surprised when the car stopped in front of the Preventers Headquarters in Brussels. He sighed to himself.  _ ‘Why would Relena get me an interview here?’ _ he thought with a cringe. He had already worked for them, and he hadn’t particularly enjoyed his time under the manic “Director” Lady Une. 

As he walked up to the tall, monolith of concrete and glass, he was mentally preparing himself to tell Une, ‘No’. 

Zechs only had a moment to notice that a shadow appeared on the other side of the glass door before opened it up for him. He stopped in his tracks, momentarily taken aback. 

She hadn’t changed at all since the last time he saw her on board the Libra. She was wearing a crisp white suit with a cornflower blue scarf wrapped around her delicate neck and her long pale blonde hair swept to-and fro as she walked. Her lavender eyes smiled at him as he approached.

“Dorothy, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” 

“Welcome,” she said with a shy smile. She ignored his puzzled look as she held the door for him to walk through, and hesitantly he walked through into the large lobby. He waited as the door closed and she caught up with him. “Please follow me, Mr. Merquise.” she said formally, and led him down the hallway.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, “I thought you were working with the ESUN,”

“I was, but I found a better opportunity. We can catch up later but we are going to be late...please follow me.” she said and turned down another hallway. 

To his surprise, he was led straight past Une’s private elevator to another elevator that he had never seen before. Dorothy stepped in behind him and as the doors closed, and she put her hand on the biometric scanner. It glowed green and he felt the metal box begin to move down. Zechs wasn’t sure how far they dropped, but it was 30 seconds before the doors opened again and Dorothy led him out.  They stepped out into an unfinished space; cement floors, exposed beams, stacks of equipment and supplies laid about, but there was not a soul in sight.

Their steps echoed as she led him about 100 yards before turning left down a corridor and stopped at an unmarked door. Again, Dorothy opened the door and held it for him, and he stepped forward. 

Zechs’ eyes widened slightly as he looked around the new room, but managed to keep the rest of his face blank. This room was modern, with sharp grey tile, two white leather and chrome lounge chairs in front of a large a glass top desk with chrome legs. There were no windows, but a large television screen was mounted on one wall and displayed a peaceful meadow scene. Zechs quickly realized, however, that it wasn’t a photo, but a video of some sort when the bright green grass rippled with an unseen wind and a daisy came loose and floated away on the breeze. 

Behind the desk sat a stern looking man with swept back, coppery red hair streaked with silver and razor sharp cerulean eyes. This man stood and nodded to Dorothy who smiled and left. 

“Hello Zechs, I’m Bruce Dubois.” He said, walking around the desk and extended a strong hand to Zechs, who took it. They both sat in the two leather chairs that faced the large desk, and Zechs could sense the other’s man’s eyes assessing him. He straightened in his seat.  Fine lines traced Dubois’ strong face and Zechs guessed he was probably in his early 50’s and he wore a fine grey Italian suit that reeked with power. 

“First, I’d like to offer my condolences...I’m very sorry to hear about the passing of Ms. Noin.”

“Thank you.” Zechs murmured curtly, but didn’t break eye contact with the man.

“Do you know why you are here?” Dubois asked, immediately changing gears and getting down to business. He lounged back in his seat and crossed his left ankle over his right knee. At this point, there was knock and Dorothy returned with two glasses of what appeared to be sparking water with a wedge of lime.

“A job interview.” Zechs answered. He already beginning to dislike the man sitting next to him, but fought his natural instinct to be combative with other A-type personalities. He accepted the drink from Dorothy, and held it in his hands while Dubois accepted his drink, then Dorothy quietly excused herself with a small smile in Zechs’ direction. 

“You look unsure,” he said with an amused smile over the rim of his glass. He lifted it slightly in Zechs’ direction then took a sip. Zechs obligingly took a sip from his and was surprised to find that it was a gin and tonic. And a damned good one too. 

“Wouldn’t you, if you had no idea what you had just walked into?” he asked and Bruce shrugged. 

“I suppose, but I’ve never gone into anything blindly,” he commented and Zechs wasn’t sure if it was meant as an insult or just part of the man’s cocky demeanor. Zechs took another sip of the drink to keep himself from saying anything. “Your sister thought that you may be a good candidate for the position I’m trying to fill.“ Bruce continued, “Tell me Zechs, have you ever heard of Nexus?”

Zechs scanned his brain for the names of all the organizations he knew of from the war. Nexus wasn’t one of them. 

“No, I haven’t.” he answered and the smile on Bruce’s face grew. 

“Good, that’s very good.” he said with a sip, “Let me enlighten you.”

Nexus, he explained, was a European organization dedicated to the end of major criminal activity, specifically terrorism. Interpol, the Earth’s  oldest and most powerful law enforcement agency, had been contracting with Nexus for ‘special’ services, since A.C. 160. It had some similarities to the Preventers, however Nexus was smaller and didn’t bother with justice, they were more direct and just took care of the “problem”. Interpol had been 349 years old when it finally changed hands and became the Preventers in AC. 196. The Preventers, who still had to follow a lot of bureaucratic red tape, saw the advantage of Nexus and decided to sign the contract too. The Preventers were a highly classified organization, but everyone knew of it because of its work in the Eve Wars and the media coverage. As far as the world knew, however,  there was no public record of an organization by the name of Nexus.  Outside of Nexus agents and Dubois, only Director Une, Foreign Minister Darlian and few select Preventers agents knew of its existence. 

And Nexus was looking for a new agent. 

Still sitting up straight, Zechs digested the information he was just given, and didn’t hear the question that he was asked. “I’m sorry, what was that sir?” he asked. 

“I asked you if you had a problem breaking Earth Sphere Unified National Law?”   

“I fought hard for this peace... so to keep it? I’d do just about anything.” Zechs answered honestly, never breaking eye contact. Dubois didn’t smile or nod before asking his next question. 

“You’re very young Zechs, so tell me why I should hire you?” Dubois asked, picking up a silver pen a twirling it expertly between his long manicured fingers.  

“I have quite extensive training and battle histor-,” Zechs started and bit back an irritated scowl as Dubois interrupted him. 

“I know who you are and what you were, Zechs. The Eve Wars ended only last year, so you can save me from hearing your battle résumé. To me, you are still a child. So tell me right now why I should trust a  _ child  _ with this position.” Still sitting with his legs crossed, Dubois stared at Zechs with a smug smile, waiting for a response. 

After weeks of sympathy and pity from everyone, Bruce’s patronizing words reminded Zechs that he really despised being spoken to that way. A fire lit in his belly and he waited a moment, before looking up again. 

“I’ll be honest with you… Bruce,” he said, confidence bubbling as he felt the broken hearted man step to the side and the commander took his place.  “I came here, not actually knowing what it was, where I was going or even who I was going to meet. I came because my sister said it would be interesting and she was right. Nexus sounds very interesting and I would enjoy the challenge. However, I’m not going to sit here and list my great qualities to you like a lovesick boy hoping for a date. If you know who I am, then you know how qualified I am for any job of a classified nature…sir. I would be a great asset to your team and I’ve been doing this for a long time. I may be young, but I have been a soldier for half of my life. I take commands and I lead effectively, I however, don’t like being talk down to.” Zechs met Dubois eyes, daring and self-assured. Adrenaline surged just from his little speech, and he felt better than he had in weeks. 

“So I can see,” Dubois answered, quietly studying the individual in front of him. The man that walked through the door was different from the one sitting in front of him at that moment.

“And if you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t have even held this interview.” Zechs added, then felt a strange twang at the thought that maybe he stepped too far. 

Zechs felt the blue gaze scrutinize him for minute, and to his surprise, Bruce’s lips began to curve upward. 

“I like you, Zechs,” He said, “I think that you’d fit in really well here. Would you like the job?” he offered, and Zechs hesitated. 

“Can I think about it?” he asked, getting up from his chair. Bruce stood up too and both men placed their empty glasses on the desk. 

“I’m not sure what there is to think about, you just said you'd enjoy the challenge...but sure,” Bruce replied. 

“Well, I thought I had put the life of taking lives behind me,” Zechs said, looking at the meadow scene on the large, flat screen. “I just want to make sure that I’m ready to be that person again.” 

Bruce nodded lightly and reached into the inner breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black card. Zechs took the offered card and flipped it between his fingers. It was cut from simple, sturdy card stock and had three lines of white text on one side: an address in Antwerp and a phone number. 

“Call when you’re ready,” Bruce said, reaching out a hand, “Just don’t take too long,” Zechs took his hand and shook it firmly. 

“I’ll be in touch,” he replied, then turned and headed to the door. 

Once outside, Zechs looked down at the business card and already knew from the feeling in his gut that he was going to take the job. 

Inside, Bruce smiled to himself once the door clicked shut. He walked around his desk and sat down, He opened his sleek, silver laptop, hit the button marked with a video camera, and selected a name on the contact list. 

The screen beeped happily for a few seconds before the call was picked up. 

“Well?”

“I think that he is going to take it.” Bruce answered, and Relena smirked at him. 

“If I know my brother at all, he won’t be able to say no.”

“I hope that you’re right. I could use his skills.”

“And he could use the distraction.” Relena replied, then added,  “Thank you, Bruce.”

“No,” Bruce said, tipping his head in her direction, “Thank you, Minister.”

Relena sent him one last small smile, then disconnected the call. 


	3. The Rescue

**February 18, AC 198**

“And send.” Zechs murmured to himself as he hit the enter button on his laptop and the report he’d written on his last mission, went off to Bruce with a ‘swooshing’ sound effect. He sat at his small, assigned, 3x5 desk, in an open co-working space with the desks of the other Nexus agents. It reminded Zechs of how cop bullpens were usually depicted in those old American movies. All open desks, no dividers, just enough room for your laptop, a lamp, an open file and a mug. 

The bullpen at Nexus headquarters was mostly empty today, since at any time, any one of the current 18 agents could be on missions all over the planet or in the colonies. They did not see each other often. Nexus agents were assigned in teams of 3, so your teammates were typically the only agents you knew well. Zechs had only met/seen four others himself.

It’d been three months since Zechs accepted the job offer, and he had only been assigned one team member, but Bruce assured him that their third member was already selected. His partner’s desk sat to the left of Zechs’, facing it’s their desks we in a L formation. The third, soon to be filled desk faced Zechs’. Both he and his new partner were new to Nexus so Bruce paired them both with one of the more experienced teams for training. The Lead for this team was a man named Flemming Dewitt. 

Dewitt had honey colored eyes that popped like two topazes against the deep bronze of his skin and he usually had a smile on his face even when there was nothing to be smiling about. He had a strong personality but he and Zechs worked well together, and he was a good leader. Next on the team was the 5’2” petite blonde Ines Linberg, who sported a short pixie cut and a tattoo sleeve on her right arm that crawled over her shoulder and around her neck. Despite appearances, Ines was the oldest Nexus agent at 35. She became an agent at 19, and worked under Bruce's predecessor, Mishko Semenov. The last member was William Sutter, a quiet man who peered out from his halo of dark chocolate curls with his observant pair of light grey orbs. Flemming, Ines and Will had been a team for the last five years and they were like a well oiled machine. 

The trio sat across the room at their own cluster of assigned desks, working on their own reports. 

Zechs liked Flemming and his team, but he longed to go on his own missions. 

Zechs stretched, arching his back over the back of his black desk chair, raising his curled fists over his head and let out a big yawn. It was already 9:00 a.m., but the only sleep he’d gotten was on the jet back from Argentina. He hadn’t seen his little apartment in almost a week. His partner hadn’t come with them to headquarters when they landed, and he didn’t know where the man went. 

The tall building in the run-down slums of Antwerp that housed Nexus Headquarters had essentially become his second home. The building used to a shoe factory and it was 9 stories of red brick, cement and rusty, broken machines. Nexus had moved into the top two floors, soundproofed them, furnished them, and added Forensics labs, a computer lab, an Undercover Unit, a Medical wing, interrogation rooms, offices, a gym, sleeping rooms, and holding cells. The rest of the building remained primarily untouched to aid the facade that it was an unoccupied building. 

He wiped a tear from his eye and just as he was going to get up for some coffee, he heard the elevator open and footsteps echoed down the hallway. A black haired man turned the corner, bundled up in a thick black coat and black scarf around his neck. Zechs watched him approach, then stood to meet his partner, Wufei Chang. 

Wufei walked up to Zechs with a scowl on his face, and Zechs had just come to assume that that was Wufei’s regular expression, regardless if the former Gundam Pilot was actually annoyed by something or not. It’d been a month since Wufei joined Nexus but Zechs was still felt surprised every time he laid eyes on him. During the war, he and Wufei didn’t interact much, but he still automatically thought of Wufei as an enemy. A Gundam who fought for the colonies while he fought for the Earth (at first). He could tell that Wufei fought the same instinct and the two still had a stiff relationship. He understood that they were allies and partners in their new organization, not enemies, so he actually put forth an effort to not be a jerk.  

Relena called this “growth”. 

“Wufei,” he greeted. 

“Zechs,” the Chinese man murmured back as he approached, and set the dark blue bag that he carried over his shoulder onto the desk. Wufei wore his onyx hair loose and it barely brushed the tops of his shoulders. He removed the heavy black winter jacket he wore, revealing a trim, toned figure, and placed it across the back of his desk chair. 

Zechs was getting ready to ask Wufei something when a message popped onto his screen and the  Wufei’s Com buzzed in his pocket . In his peripheral vision, Zechs noticed Dewitt’s team stirring and guessed that they had received the alert too. 

There was a new assignment. 

He stood up from his desk, shrugged at Wufei, and they walked across the room, meeting Dewitt’s team, as they all made their way to Bruce’s office. 

The five agents were quiet as they walked alongside one-another down the long hallway to the only enclosed and private office in the building. Even Dorothy, Bruce’s head administrator, had a desk just outside the red-head’s office, like a secretary. 

Her lavender eyes darted up as they approached and Zechs sent her a small nod. She gave him a small smile then looked back at her computer screen. 

Flemming knocked on the door and immediately heard “Come in”. They filed inside and closed the door behind them. Flemming, Ines and Will stood in their usual triangle formation, with Flemming in the front, Zechs and Wufei stood side by side, and all stood at ease.

“I just read your report.” Bruce started, staring at Zechs. “Seems like everything went well?” he asked, even though he obviously knew that the mission had been successful. 

“Yes, it went smoothly. We used minimum ammunition and the only casualty was the target.”

“Excellent.” Bruce nodded approvingly. Nexus’ goal was to always stay under the radar, so massive casualties were discouraged unless it was absolutely necessary. “So, do you and Wufei feel ready to lead your own mission?” he asked, and Zechs grinned.

“Yes sir, I believe we can.”

“Good. I’ll send Flemming and his team with you but you and Wufei will take the lead.” Bruce said, standing up. “I know you guys just returned, but there’s been an incident and I need you to head out immediately.” He bent over his laptop, hit a button, and a moment later the Coms in the five agents’ pockets beeped. “I’ve just sent you the mission details, leave as soon as possible.” he instructed and all the agents nodded with murmurings of ‘Yes’sir’. As the agents turned to leave, Bruce added, “Flemming, can you stay another second?” and the tall man remained behind as Will, Ines, Wufei, and Zechs left the office. 

Ines was already looking at her Com for the details, and her eyebrows furrowed immediately. She remained quiet and headed straight to her desk. Zechs pulled out his own Com and read as he walked over to his own desk. 

**Mission**

**Rescue: Kay Longbow**

**Details: At 0700 this morning, 2.18.198 there was a deadly explosion at the German Embassy in Rome, Italy. Four individuals, Don Wood, Kay Longbow, Karina Schultz, and Arthur Morales were present during the explosion and were ambushed by members of the terrorist cell who orchestrated the attack. Reports indicate that individuals, Wood, Schultz, and Morales, did not survive the attack. Their bodies have been recovered by civilian personnel. Ms. Longbow has been taken hostage by the group’s leader, Yousef Kaiser. Demands have not yet been made. Nexus techs have located the cell’s hideout and the most likely location to take a hostage. Recover Ms. Longbow and take out all members of the terrorist cell.**

 

Zechs looked up, nodding his head. Seemed like a standard mission with the twist of a rescue. What was so important about this woman? Was she part of the German hierarchy? A government official?  He locked his Com with the press of a button and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He had never heard of any of the four people listed...but then again he didn’t pay too much attention to politics anymore.  _ 0700...so this only happened two and a half hours ago… _ he mused. 

Zechs heard a door opening and closing distantly, and listened to Flemming’s footsteps as he came down the hallway. When he entered the bullpen, he went straight to Ines and Will, who, Zechs just noticed, seemed to be slightly agitated by something. He watched the trio from the corner of his eye as they spoke in hushed tones and he could tell that something was wrong.

Wufei had also finished reading the mission and also noticed that something wasn’t right with the others. He looked at Zechs with his black eyes, raised an eyebrow, and started to walk over. Zechs followed. 

“Is everything alright?” Wufei asked, and the talking ceased right away and they all turned to face them. “Is there something we should know?”

Flemming flashed his bright white smile, and shook his head.  “No, nothing is wrong,” he reassured in his deep baritone. “Someone was just hoping to go home once we had finished our reports,” he said with a nod in Ines’ direction and she scowled up at him. 

“Okay, well will you be ready to go soon?” Zechs asked, “I’m going to send the request for a helijet  so we should get to the roof soon.” he said, and Flemming nodded. 

“We’ll be ready.” 

“Okay. Meet us at the elevator in 10 minutes and we will go.” Zechs instructed then turned and left. As he walked, he pulled out his Com and dialed the number for their assigned Nexus Tech, or their NT.  When he first joined, he used Flemming’s NT, Opal, but when Wufei joined, they were paired with Jeanne, and she was amazing. Her efficiency relaying data to them while they were out in the field was remarkable.

“Good morning Zechs,” came Jeanne’s pleasant voice, “Already headed out I see?” 

“Morning Jeanne. Yeah, we’ve received a new assignment and I need to request a helijet.”

“I’ve already got one for you. It should be landing in 5.” she replied, proving once again that their jobs would not go as smoothly if they didn’t have her. 

“You are amazing.” he said with a smile. He reached his desk and got his gun from the drawer. 

“I know,” she replied and Zechs could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll be logging into the ear pieces here in a few.”

“Sounds good,” he said and hung up. Zechs checked his magazine and then put the gun in the holster around his waist. Next, he pulled the little ear piece out of its case and put it into his ear. He locked his laptop, grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, and he and Wufei headed to the armory for a few more clips. Once they found what they needed in the well stocked room, they logged what they took, and headed over to the elevator. Flemming’s team had come in behind him, followed all the same steps, and a minute later all five agents stepped out of the elevator and onto the roof, where the waiting helijet sat. Zechs wasn’t sure exactly where Nexus got all of its funds for all of their technological and transportation, but he wasn’t going to complain. Taking a helijet cut travel time in half. 

A biting wind from the spinning helicopter rotors whipped into his face, and Zechs was momentarily grateful that he had decided to keep his hair short as he watched both Wufei’s and William’s hair swirled all round their heads. 

Zechs looked past the helicopter, to the city beyond, and he could see the beautiful white blanket of snow that fell on Antwerp the night before. It was a chilly February day and Zechs could feel his nose and cheeks already reddening from the cold. He nodded at the pilot as he stepped into the back with the others and put on his head set. 

They discussed the plan as they travelled on the quick helitjet and when they landed one hour later, they had their plan set. They had all of the information they needed to find the terrorist cell, with satellite images included. 

Jeanne already had two SUV’s waiting for them when they landed, and they drove quickly down to the warehouses near one of many old deserted fishing docks in Ostia, just south of Rome. They pulled up to Warehouse 5, parked, and made their way to Warehouse 7 on foot, going slowly and keeping an eye out for watchmen. They split up, Flemming, Ines and Wufei took the north side of the warehouse while Will and Zechs went south. 

“Hey guys,” Opal, Flemming’s NT’s voice sounded in their ears as they rounded the last corner, “We’ve got a problem.” Her voice was a little higher than Jeanne’s and had a slight Scottish accent.

“What’s up?” Flemming asked and Will and Zechs stopped walking as they listened. 

“Preventers are on their way. They are about an hour away.”

“Damn,” Flemming cursed. “Okay guys, we’ll have to speed this up.” Will and Zechs nodded to each other and continued their advancement on the warehouse. Going low, Zechs was about to step out from behind a barrel when he heard the crunch of gravel. He didn’t stop as he stepped forward and stood up to meet whoever it was. It was a tall, muscular guard in all-black tactical gear. Zechs’ sudden appearance took him by surprise and he took a staggering step back. His eyes bulged as he reached for his gun but before he could raise his rifle to shoot, Zechs reached out, grabbed the muzzle of the rifle, thrust it to the side and rammed his right elbow into the man’s throat. The large man let out a surprised grunt and wheeze as he fell back, smacking the side of the building with his head and sliding down, unconscious. 

“Nice,” Will commented quietly as he took the man’s rifle and slung it around his shoulders. They bound him then continued on, making it to the back entrance and only encountering one more guard. The door was stupidly left unlocked and they snuck into the building. 

“We’re in,” Zechs reported under his breath as he held his new rifle. 

“We are too,” Flemming responded. 

“Okay, Will and I will head to the lower level and clear it while you three clear this level. Everyone keep a look out for Kaiser, he might have another bomb on him so be careful.”

“Copy,” Flemming, Ines and Wufei murmured and everyone went radio silent. Zechs and Will met no other guards as they wound their way around old, rusted, shipping containers to the stairs located at the southwest corner. There were no lights in the steep cement stairwell and they pulled out their LED flashlights as they descended. Both men switched to their handguns, and crossed their wrists with the gun in one and and the flashlights underneath. The bright white light revealed the staircase to be dank and dirty, and Will pointed to a disturbance in the light layer of dirt.

“We have drag marks and footsteps,” Will reported in low voice, but there was no response. There was a popping in the distance and Zechs knew they had encountered the rest of the guards.

Zechs could hear the steady thrum of his heart as he and Will made their way slowly across the 3000 sqft. warehouse basement. It was crammed with an assortment of abandoned items and Zechs could detect the smell of wood rot and decay. It was eerily quiet, the air felt dense and nothing echoed. The basement was nearly filled to capacity, with boxes reaching the ceiling in some areas. They passed a large crate, nearly as tall as Zechs, and he jumped when the sudden sound of scuffling came from right next to his face. Gasping, he took an alarmed step back, pointing his gun and flashlight towards the crate. The fat, gray rat seemed unamused by the light in its face and scurried away, and Will let out a single snort of amusement. 

As they made their way deeper into the warehouse, Zechs felt as if they were descending into the guts of a whale. The smell was getting worse, and it was surprisingly warm despite the frigid temperatures outside. They walked until their flashlight beams shined on a steel wall with giant industrial door with thick plastic strips hanging down in front of the opening. It looked to be a multi-use locker, it could be either a freezer or a hot box, and the comically sized switch on the outside was flipped down for heat. 

The plastic strips on the door were usually meant to keep cold air in, but now they did nothing to hold back the warm air and putrid smell that seeped from the open door. 

“There’s something dead in there,” Zechs murmured, knowing death when he smelled it, and Will nodded. 

They advanced slowly on the door, breathing through their mouths, and stopped in their tracks when a noise came from inside. 

He couldn’t quite make out what it was, but goosebumps immediately crawled up his arms. It was a rasping noise, slow and repeating every few seconds. They heard it over and over again... quiet but desperate. They inched closer to the noise, which was also accompanied by an occasional rustling and footsteps. 

“Your friends are upstairs, here to save you.” They heard a heavily accented deep voice growl. “But you’ll be dead by the time they find you down here.”

There was a muffled response then the single sharp smack of a fist on flesh. As they got closer, the rasping noise became more desperate, and Zechs realized what it was. It was the sound of a human struggling to breathe, and his own breath stopped. 

Sudden images of Lucrezia in the Mars runner, panicking as she rolled down the ravine, and suffocating when her air escaped, flooded his brain. He saw it over and over again, and her panic and terror ran through his blood like ice water. 

Suddenly, a hand grasped his arm and he jerked back to his body. Will was staring at him angrily and Zechs realized that he had frozen in his footsteps and was covered in a cold sweat. He noticed that a new sound filled the room… the unmistakable sound of a mechanical lift. 

The struggle noises increased and the man inside chuckled with pleasure.  

Will signaled to Zechs and both men advanced, guns at the ready. 

They didn’t call out a warning as they entered the stuffy, foul, dimly lit room. Zechs took a quick scan, seeing the guards, their leader, and their target who was hanging helplessly, mere inches from the ground, from the rope around her neck. The rope was wrapped around meat hook and it was slowly lifting her into the air. Her arms were tied behind her back, and her feet were tied together. She wiggled helplessly but her attempts were grew weaker and weaker as she was strangled to death.

“Oh my god,” Zechs murmured as he and Will took the guards out one by one, moving closer and closer to her as they did. Kaiser had taken one look at them when they entered and bolted out the back door of the locker. It all happened in a matter of seconds. 

“Get her!” Will yelled at him as he started to run, “I’ll get him!” And he was out the door behind the group leader. 

Zechs found the mechanism for the lift and quickly shut it off, and turned to the woman. She was just a little too high for him to reach the rope but he stepped up on the chair that he assumed she had been seated in, and unsheathed the knife on his belt. Balancing his tall frame on the wobbly chair, he wrapped an arm around her waist, reached up, and easily sliced through the rope connected to the meat hook. He realized that she was unconscious when he almost dropped her as her dead weight was released from the hook. Dropping the knife, he tightened his grip on her and quickly but carefully brought her down to the ground. Then he looped his fingers under the tight rope around her neck and pulled it loose, but she didn’t stir. 

    “Nonono,” he muttered to himself as he straightened her body, tilted her head back and started CPR. 

After a few breaths, she suddenly drew in a deep, ragged breath and began coughing violently, arching her back then twisting to the side. Remembering that her hands and feet were still tied, he cut them loose. She continued to cough and suck in air, bringing her arms around her head for support. Zechs was unsure what to do, so he kneeled and waited next to her. Then she grew quiet, laying her head down on the warm metal floor.

“Hey…” he said, laying a hand on her back. He felt her take a shallow breath and could feel her steady heartbeat but she didn’t move. He grasped her shoulder, careful of the red blistering burns that covered them, and turned her over, resting her head on his knee. “Shit,” he murmured as his flashlight shined on her face and it highlighted the angry red ligature that mark wrapped itself around her neck and her face was a shade of reddish-purple. She had been beaten badly, half of her face was swollen and bruised, and there were two spots on her cheek and eyebrow where the skin had been split. He could tell from the swelling in her hands and crooked digits that several of her fingers had been broken and there were more areas on her arms that had angry, red blisters, which Zechs presumed were from the bomb explosion. ‘ _ Sick bastard’  _ he thought to himself, staring at the unconscious woman, but a quick look at her beaten and burned body told him that she hadn’t suffered any other abuses.

She was wearing a torn and bloody blue tank top, a sports bra, and ankle length black workout spandex, and all were singed and burnt in areas. Her brown hair had been swept into a high bun but a lot of loose strands had come loose throughout the torture, and they were plastered to her face and neck with her blood and sweat. 

“Zechs…” Flemming’s voice sounded in his ear, reminding Zechs of where he was, “Did you get her?” 

Zechs swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded to himself. 

“Yes. I have her.”

“Is she alive?”

“Yes.” he answered and could have sworn that he heard several sighs of relief. 

“Good, do you need help bringing her upstairs?” Flemming asked and Zechs stared down at the limp body before him. 

“No, I’ve got her. What happened to Kaiser?” He asked as he shifted her body.

“We got him.” Came the reply.  

“Good. He’s a sick bastard.” Zechs growled. Putting an arm under her knees and the other under her back, Zechs stood up and lifted her easily. He held the flashlight awkwardly between two fingers and made sure the beam shined forward.  

As he walked out through the plastic strips and out of the lockers, the slightly cooler air came as a relief to Zechs, who found himself dripping with sweat. The cooler air also smelled different, reminding him that they didn’t even look for the other dead body that was obviously hidden within. 

He didn’t care. He got who they came for. 

As he walked, she remained unconscious but her breathing was steady.

As Zechs wound his way through the basement, back to the steps, he couldn't help the little tingle of pride that he felt in his chest. There weren't many rescue missions in Nexus, as most of their missions were straight up assassinations. It felt good to save someone for once.  

Zechs made it to the dark stairwell a few minutes later and started to ascend. Three flashlight beams appeared at the top, and Flemming, Ines and Wufei came into view. Zechs noticed that Will was gone, Wufei was bleeding from a gunshot wound on his upper right bicep, and that the others had various cuts and scratches as well. 

“Jesus,” Ines murmured when they were near enough to see the woman in his arms. Zechs watched Flemming and Ines’ faces and knew immediately that they weren't telling him something.  They both wore the identical blank, hard mask you put on keep others from knowing what you were thinking, when in fact, your brain was running all over the place. 

Zechs had that particular look down to a science. 

But of the two, Ines’ reaction seemed a little much for someone that they didn’t know.  _ She knows her… _ Zechs thought. 

“Tell me right now,” he demanded.

“Tell you what?” Flemming asked, maintaining his mask and flashing him a small side smile. 

“I'm not an idiot.” Zechs growled staring into Flemming’s yellow eyes, “Who is this woman?” 

Flemming hesitated but kept his mask on. Ines seemed to struggle with something, biting her tongue and rolling her eyes, before letting out an angry huff. 

“This is stupid,” she growled to herself then looked up at Zechs, “She is one of ours, Zechs.” She spit out before Flemming could stop her. The two shared angry stares at one another before Flemming gave up with shrug and a sigh. 

“What?” Zechs asked, surprised. He had not been expecting that. Wufei, who had remained rather impassive during this exchange, also looked startled at the news. Zechs peered down at the unconscious form in his arms with new eyes, trying to remember if he had ever seen her before. “One of ours?”

“Yes,” Ines said in an exasperated voice, “She, they... Don, Karina, Art and Kay, are from Nexus.” 


End file.
